In a complaint filed in Multnomah County, Ore., Circuit Court, the state alleges GNC sold thousands of products containing two “potentially dangerous” synthetic ingredients: picamilon and BMPEA.

Picamilon, which hasn’t been approved in the U.S., is a synthetic chemical developed in the former Soviet Union and is used in Russia as a prescription drug to treat neurological conditions, the Attorney General’s office said. BMPEA is a powerful synthetic stimulant similar to amphetamine which is banned in sports by the World Anti-Doping Agency, the complaint said.

Pittsburgh-based GNC said it would vigorously defend itself and that the claims “are without merit.” It also said it has taken action to stop selling products with the ingredients following recent statements from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about the two substances.

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The Oregon complaint alleges that GNC’s staff knew of picamilon’s status as an unlawful dietary ingredient as early as 2007, but still sold thousands of units of supplements containing the ingredient.

“It is scary to know that certain products sold by GNC contain an ingredient that is not even labeled—let alone approved in the U.S.,” Attorney General
Ellen F. Rosenblum
said in a news release.

The complaint also alleges GNC continued selling products containing picamilon even after Oregon authorities contacted the company in June asking for information on the company’s use of the ingredient, and the company only stopped selling products with BMPEA after the FDA sent the warning letters to its suppliers earlier this year stating that the substance doesn’t meet the statutory definition of a dietary supplement.

The FDA also doesn’t consider picamilon a legal dietary ingredient, according to a declaration by a representative of the agency that was attached to the Oregon lawsuit against GNC.

A copy of that declaration was posted on a blog that focuses on nutritional supplements last week, and some individuals reported being unable to purchase supplements containing picamilon at certain retailers that had previously sold them, including stores owned by GNC and New Jersey-based
Vitamin Shoppe Inc.

A Vitamin Shoppe spokeswoman said​ the retail chain removed all products containing picamilon from its stores and website “as soon as the FDA declared that picamilon was not a dietary ingredient.” In May, Vitamin Shoppe agreed to ban BMPEA from its products in a settlement with the Oregon Attorney General.

Earlier this year, GNC agreed to expand testing of its supplements after the New York Attorney General ordered it and other retailers to stop selling certain store-brand herbal supplements because of labeling issues.

Shares of GNC fell 14% Thursday to $34.51, its largest daily percentage decline since February 2014. Shares of Vitamin Shoppe Inc. fell 4.3% Thursday, declining less than GNC.

Capsules containing picamilon are still available for sale on some websites, including
Amazon.com
and some online retailers that specialize in vitamins and health supplements.